CAFE standards were not created to reduce pollution. Remember that when debating this stuff folks.

Please DO NOT keep this in mind because it is actually incorrect.

CAFE was enacted after the 1975 Oil Embargo as a way to force people to reduce consumption of imported oil.

In 1975, the US imported about 15 Million barrels per day. CAFE was put into effect and completely failed in the stated objective. imports were up to about 18 million per day by 1978.

Consumption took a reduction back down to about 14 billion barrels a day by 1980 when the "Malaise" recession took hold. Over the next few years, the economy was booming again and consumption returned to the former levels and then continued to rise.

By 2025 the consumption rate is predicted to be 30 billion barrels per day (twice that of the consumption in the day when CAFE was imposed to reduce consumption).

So, CAFE has failed at the stated purpose, and while cars have gotten more efficient and use less gas, it still has not done anything to reduce dependency on foreign oil. It has done the opposite, by making people drive MORE now because it costs less to do so.

It has also resulted in compromised vehicle designs that need to make up for their inherent lack of safety with the addition of expensive pyrotechnic safety devices and the like, adding to the sticker price of the average car.